Electronic cigarette

ABSTRACT

An electronic cigarette includes a battery assembly, an atomizer assembly and a cigarette bottle assembly. An external thread electrode is located in one end of battery assembly. An internal thread electrode is located in one end of atomizer assembly. The battery assembly and the atomizer assembly are connected by the screwthread electrode. The cigarette bottle assembly is inserted into the other end of the atomizer assembly and both form a cigarette type or cigar type body.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/849,963, filed Apr. 15, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 16/206,394, filed Nov. 30, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No.10,791,766, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/634,698, filed Jun. 27, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,143,238, which isa continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/158,421, filed May18, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,808,033, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/754,521, filed Jan. 30, 2013, now U.S.Pat. No. 9,370,205, which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/226,819, filed Jan. 15, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,375,957,which is a § 371 national phase application of International PatentApplication No. PCT/CN2007/001576, filed May 15, 2007, which claims thebenefit of Chinese Patent Application No. 200620090805.0, filed May 16,2006. All of these applications are incorporated herein by reference intheir entirety.

BACKGROUND

Although smoking causes serious respiratory diseases and cancers, it isdifficult to get smokers to quit smoking. Nicotine is the effectiveingredient in cigarettes. Nicotine is a micro-molecular alkaloid whichis basically harmless to humans at low dosages. Tar is the major harmfulsubstance in tobacco. Tobacco tar contains thousands of ingredients,dozens of which are carcinogenic.

Cigarette substitutes have used relatively pure nicotine in patches,chewing gum and aerosols. Still disadvantages remain with cigarettesubstitutes or products for helping smokers to quit smoking.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An improved electronic cigarette has a battery assembly, an atomizerassembly and a cigarette bottle assembly. The battery assembly connectswith one end of the atomizer assembly, and the cigarette bottle assemblyis inserted into the other end of the atomizer assembly, thus formingone cigarette type or cigar type body. Use of the electronic cigarettereduces cancer risks and fire hazards while providing a simulatedsmoking experience.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of an electronic cigarette.

FIG. 2A is a view of the battery assembly.

FIG. 2B is a view of another battery assembly.

FIG. 3 is the diagram of the atomizer assembly.

FIG. 4 is the diagram of the cigarette bottle assembly.

FIG. 5A is a section view of an electronic cigarette.

FIG. 5B is a section view of another embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of a charger.

FIG. 7 is the electric circuit diagram.

FIG. 8 is a side view of an atomizer.

FIG. 9 is an end view of the atomizer shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a diagram of a spray atomizer.

FIG. 11 is an end view of the atomizer shown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a section view of another embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

As shown in FIG. 1, an electronic cigarette has an appearance similar toa cigarette inserted into the cigarette holder. As shown in FIG. 2A, theelectronic cigarette includes a battery assembly, an atomizer assemblyand a cigarette bottle assembly. An external thread electrode (209) islocated in one end of the battery assembly, and an internal threadelectrode (302) is located in one end of the atomizer assembly. Thebattery assembly and atomizer assembly are connected through the screwthread electrode into an electronic cigarette. The cigarette bottleassembly is inserted into the other end of atomizer assembly.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the battery assembly includes an indicator (202),lithium ion battery (203), MOSFET electric circuit board (205), sensor(207), silica gel corrugated membrane (208), primary screw threadelectrode (209), primary negative pressure cavity (210), and primaryshell (211). On one end of the primary shell (211) is an external threadelectrode (209). On the other end is an indicator (202), where there isan indicator cap (201) on one side having a small hole (501). On theother side, the lithium ion battery (203) and MOSFET (Metallic OxideSemiconductor Field Effect Tube) electric circuit board (205) areconnected successively. The sensor (207) is located on MOSFET electriccircuit board (205). Between the primary screw thread electrode (209)and sensor (207) is a silica gel corrugated membrane (208), on whichthere is the primary negative pressure cavity (210). The sensor (207) isconnected with the silica gel corrugated membrane (208) through theswitch spring (212).

The sensor (207) may be switch sensor made of elastic alloy slice, alinear output Hall sensor, a semiconductor force-sensitive chip, asemiconductor matrix thermoelectric bridge chip, capacitance orinductance sensor. The indicators (202) include two red LEDs. Thelithium ion battery (203) may be either a rechargeable polymer lithiumion battery or a rechargeable lithium ion battery. The external threadelectrode (209) is a gold-coated stainless steel or brass part with ahole drilled in the center. The silica gel corrugated membrane (208) mayalternatively be made of fluorinated rubber, butyronitrile rubber, orelastic alloy film.

As shown in FIG. 3, the atomizer assembly includes the internal threadelectrode (302), air-liquid separator (303), atomizer (307) and thesecondary shell (306). One end of the secondary shell (306) is insertedinto the cigarette bottle assembly for connection, while the other endhas an internal thread electrode (302), in which there is the secondarynegative pressure cavity (301). The air-liquid separator (303) and theatomizer (307) are connected with the internal thread electrode (302)successively. On the secondary shell (306), there is an air intake hole(502). The air-liquid separator (303) is made of stainless steel orplastic with a hole. The internal thread electrode (302) is agold-coated stainless steel or brass part with a hole in the center.

The atomizer (307) may be a capillary impregnation atomizer as in FIGS.8 and 9, or a spray atomizer as in FIGS. 10 and 11. As shown in FIG. 4,the cigarette bottle assembly includes the cigarette liquid bottle(401), fiber (402) and suction nozzle (403). The fiber (402) containingcigarette liquid is located on one end of the cigarette liquid bottle(401). This end is inserted into the secondary shell (306) and liesagainst the atomizer (307). The suction nozzle (403) is located on theother end of the cigarette liquid bottle (401). Between the fiber (402)and interior wall of the cigarette liquid bottle (40 I) is an air intakehole (503).

As shown in FIG. 5A, the standby state has the fully charged batteryassembly shown on FIG. 2A fastened onto the atomizer assembly shown onFIG. 3, which is then inserted into the cigarette bottle assembly shownin FIG. 4. When the user slightly sucks the suction nozzle (403),negative pressure forms on the silica gel corrugated membrane (208)through the air intake hole (503) and the primary and secondary negativepressure cavities (210, 301). The silica gel corrugated membrane (208),under the action of suction pressure difference, distorts to drive theswitch spring (212) and sensor (207), thus switching MOSFET electriccircuit board (205). At this moment, the indicators (202) are litgradually; the lithium ion battery (203) electrifies the heating body(305) inside the atomizer (307) through MOSFET electric circuit board(205) as well as the internal and external thread electrodes (302, 209).

The heating body (305) inside the atomizer (307) produces heat. Thefiber (402) inside the cigarette liquid bottle (401) contains cigaretteliquid, which soaks the micro-porous ceramics (801) inside the atomizerthrough the fiber (402). The air enters through the air intake hole(502), passes through the run-through hole on the air-liquid separator(303), and helps to form air-liquid mixture in the spray nozzle (304) ofthe atomizer (307). The air-liquid mixture sprays onto the heating body(305), gets vaporized, and is quickly absorbed into the airflow andcondensed into aerosol, which passes through the air intake hole (503)and suction nozzle (403) to form white mist type aerosol.

When suction stops, the switch spring (212) and sensor (207) are reset;the atomizer (307) stops working; the indicators (202) gradually diedown. When the operation times reaches the pre-set value, the atomizer(307) provides a work delay of 5-20 seconds per time, so as to removethe micro-dirt accumulated on the heating body (305).

Besides the micro-porous ceramics, the liquid supply material of theatomizer (307) may also be foamed ceramics, micro-porous glass, foamedmetal, stainless steel fiber felt, terylene fiber, nylon fiber, nitrilefiber, aramid fiber or hard porous plastics. The heating body (305) ismade of the micro-porous ceramics on which nickel-chromium alloy wire,iron-chromium alloy wire, platinum wire, or other electro thermalmaterials are wound. Alternatively, it may be a porous componentdirectly made of electrically conductive ceramics or PTC (PositiveTemperature Coefficient) ceramics and associated with a sinteredelectrode. The surface of the heating body(305) is sintered intohigh-temperature glaze to fix the zeolite grains, which are made ofnatural zeolite, artificial non-organic micro-porous ceramics oraluminum oxide grains. The cigarette liquid bottle (401) and suctionnozzle (403) in the cigarette bottle assembly are made of non-toxicplastic. The fiber (402) inside of them is made of polypropylene fiberor nylon fiber to absorb cigarette liquid. In the battery assembly,there is a fine hole (501) on the indicator cap (201) for balancing thepressure difference on both sides of the silica gel corrugated membrane(208).

The cigarette liquid contains 0.1-3.5% nicotine, 0.05-5% tobacco flavor,0.1-3% organic acid, 0.1-0.5% stabilizer, and propanediol for theremaining.

The primary and secondary shells (211, 306) are made of stainless steeltube or copper alloy tube with baked-enamel coating of real cigarettecolor.

As shown in FIG. 12, the diameter of the battery assembly may beincreased in proportion, so that it is consistent with the diameter ofthe atomizer assembly. Its shell may be decorated with the leaf veinsand sub-gloss brown-yellow baked-enamel coating, to create a cigar typedevice.

For charging the lithium ion battery (203), the screw thread electrode(601) matches the external thread electrode (209) on the batteryassembly, so that it may be used as the charging interface.

The design in FIG. 2B is difference from the design in FIG. 1A asfollows: Microcircuit (206) is added between MOSFET electric circuitboard (205) and sensor (207). On the surface of the primary shell (211),there is a screen (204) for display of the power of the lithium ionbattery (203) and the sucking times.

As shown in FIG. 5B, a fully charged battery assembly is attached ontothe atomizer assembly, which is then inserted into the cigarette bottleassembly shown on FIG. 4. When the user slightly sucks the suctionnozzle (403), negative pressure forms on the silica gel corrugatedmembrane (208) through the air intake hole (503) and the primary andsecondary negative pressure cavities (210, 301). The silica gelcorrugated membrane (208), under the action of suction pressuredifference, distorts to drive the switch spring (212) and sensor (207),thus activating the Microcircuit (206) and MOSFET electric circuit board(205). At this moment, the indicators (202) are lit gradually; thelithium ion battery (203) electrifies the heating body (305) inside theatomizer (307) through MOSFET electric circuit board (205) as well asthe internal and external thread electrodes (302, 209), so that theheating body (305) inside the atomizer (307) produces heat.

The fiber (402) inside the cigarette liquid bottle (401) containscigarette liquid, which soaks the micro-porous ceramics (801) inside theatomizer through the fiber (402). The air enters through the air intakehole (502), passes through the run-through hole on the air-liquidseparator (303), and helps to form air-liquid mixture in the spraynozzle (304) of the atomizer (307). The air-liquid mixture sprays ontothe heating body (305), gets vaporized, and is quickly absorbed into theairflow and condensed into aerosol, which passes through the air intakehole (503) and suction nozzle (403) to form white mist type aerosol.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the action of suction activates the sensor,Microcircuit (206) scans the sensor (207) in the power-saving mode ofpulse, and according to the signal parameters of the sensor (207),restricts the atomizing capacity with the integral function of frequencyto single operation time. Also, the microcircuit (206) accomplishes thepulse width modulation and over discharging protection for the constantpower output, automatic cleansing for thousands of times per operation,step lighting/dying down control of the indicator, display of theoperation times and battery capacity, automatic recovery after sensormalfunction shutdown, etc.

The unit and its connecting structure may also be loaded with drugs fordelivery to the lung.

Above are just specifications of an example and do not necessarilyrestrict the scope of protection. Any equivalent modification made onthe basis of the design spirit shall fall into the scope of protection.

I claim:
 1. A vaporizing device comprising: a battery assemblycomprising a battery, an LED and a microcircuit electrically connectedto a circuit board within a battery assembly housing; a first electrodeat an end of the battery assembly housing; an atomizer assemblycomprising an atomizer and a liquid supply in an atomizer assemblyhousing; the atomizer including a metallic heating body extending acrossa surface of a porous body, the heating body perpendicular to alongitudinal axis of the atomizer assembly housing; the heating body andthe surface of the porous body in an airflow path through the atomizerassembly housing leading to a suction nozzle; wherein air passes acrossthe heating body and the surface of the porous body; a second electrodeat an end of the atomizer assembly housing; and the battery assembly andthe atomizer assembly electrically connected by engagement of the firstelectrode with the second electrode, and with electricity conducted fromthe battery to the heating body through the first and second electrodes.2. The vaporizing device of claim 1 wherein the porous body comprises aceramic material.
 3. The vaporizing device of claim 2 wherein the porousbody comprises a foamed ceramic material.
 4. The vaporizing device ofclaim 1 wherein the metallic heating body comprises a wire.
 5. Thevaporizing device of claim 1 further including a sensor electricallyconnected to the circuit board.
 6. The vaporizing device of claim 1wherein the porous body comprises a ceramic material componentconfigured to absorb a liquid from the liquid supply and to move theliquid towards the metallic heating body via capillary action.
 7. Thevaporizing device of claim 1 wherein the metallic heating body comprisesa sintered material.
 8. The vaporizing device of claim 1 wherein theheating body comprises a sintered electrode.
 9. The vaporizing device ofclaim 1 wherein a first portion of the porous body is parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the atomizer assembly housing and a second portionof the porous body is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of theatomizer assembly housing.
 10. A vaporizing device comprising: a batteryassembly comprising a battery, a sensor, an LED and a microcircuitelectrically connected to a circuit board within a battery assemblyhousing; a first electrode on the battery assembly housing; an atomizerassembly comprising a capillary impregnation atomizer and a liquidsupply in an atomizer assembly housing; the capillary impregnationatomizer including a metal heating body on a porous ceramic body, themetal heating body perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the atomizerassembly housing; the capillary impregnation atomizer between an airintake hole and a suction nozzle on the atomizer assembly housing; and asecond electrode on the atomizer assembly housing.
 11. The vaporizingdevice of claim 10 wherein the metal heating body comprises a wire. 12.The vaporizing device of claim 10 wherein the metallic heating bodycomprises a sintered material.
 13. The vaporizing device of claim 10wherein the heating body comprises a sintered electrode.
 14. Thevaporizing device of claim 10 wherein the porous ceramic body comprisesa foamed ceramic material.
 15. The vaporizing device of claim 10 whereina first portion of the porous ceramic body is parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the atomizer assembly housing and a second portionof the porous ceramic body is parallel to the longitudinal axis of theatomizer assembly housing.
 16. The vaporizing device of claim 10 whereinthe battery assembly and the atomizer assembly are electricallyconnected by engagement of the first electrode with the secondelectrode, and wherein electricity is conducted from the battery to theheating body through the first and second electrodes.